Working on the CLK63 Black Series project. Have a car here and we're designing and building a number of great upgrades for the vehicle. Will use this thread to keep everyone posted. Some of the items being worked on as we speak are:

• Stainless long-tube performance headers + hi-flow cats
• Stainless x-pipe resonator replacement
• Compound brake rotors (front/rear) + upgraded pads
• evosport dampened crankshaft and accessory pulley kit
• Custom software
• Dymag Carbon/Kevlar wheels
• Bolt-in chromolly rollcage w/ harness bar
• Aero Package (front carbon lower diffuser, rear carbon DTM-style wing)
• Track Package (billet lower rear adj. control arm, camber plates, track spring setup)

Below are pics of the car and of the bolt-in rollbar we've designed (available now) specific to this vehicle. Tig-welded 4130 Chromoly, tight fit, bolt-in, very clean install...available painted or powder coated in any color or wrapped in leather or alcantara. Will post more pics soon...



Here are some pics powder coated before being wrapped in factory match leather:

 

Very nice cage, although it makes me cringe to see the interior taken apart like that...
Few questions about your mods -
Exhaust: The BS already has factory headers, how are you improving them? Cats, are you custom making the high flow cats or using an existing product?
Brakes: What do you mean by "compound rotors"? Do you mean carbon rotors similar to the PCCB's?
Software: What software - transmission, ECU and who is writing the code, is it all being done in house or are you using Renntech ?
Aero pkg: Are you using the factory European Aero package or making one custom and laying your own carbon fiber ?
Track suspension: Where are you getting the billet suspension peices or are they being custom designed and fab'd?
Lastly - will you be installing the RoW racing seats, halon system and a fuel cell ?

Thoughts - It sounds like this is for sure going to be a great track car...however at the same time, it sounds a bit counterintuitive after having spent a few days with my car on the track. Simply put, the BS is far from being a "good" track car. It can handle the abuse of track duty all day long in stock form, but it's still a big heavy car that shows it weight in the corners. If going fast on the track is what you want, you'd be better served in a GT3 or for even less and probably faster, a well modded Evo with slicks.

I realize this is a customer car, and many people have an idea of what they want and are willing to throw lots of $$$$ at it - so to each his own. I look forward to hearing what you have to say about the above questions and congrats on a very unique car. It will no doubt be a scream on the track.

 

T304 stainless steel, tig-welded, tri-y design, high velocity merge collector, pulse tuned, port matched, sleeved design.

Below are pics of the prototype unit...more to follow...

 

Exhaust: Factory car has log manifold (see below pic). See above post for improvement. Cats will be custom.



compared to:



The factory is still a log manifold, just a bigger one then the other 63's. The proper long tube header is a big difference as you can see.

Brakes: To start, we will offer multi-piece rear rotor (factory is solid) for the rear to match the front. Similar to what we offer now for the 55 AMG's (see below). Later we will offer a carbon ceramic rotor replacement option.







Software:ECU to start and tuned for long tubes and cats. Done in house with Powerchip. Every evosport power package is tuned using our in house dyno and engineering in partnership with Powerchip exclusively.

Aero pkg: Making our own. For a few reasons we have gone down this road with our own design and manufacture.

• euro factory parts are very difficult to get reliably
• euro factory parts are extremely expensive, and fluctuating with the exchange rate
• we want to change the design slightly

Track suspension:All suspension pieces are being designed and produced in-house.

 

Very impressive, Simon. That car is going to be sick and those headers are works of art. I thought the BS sounded amazing in stock form....yours is going to sound WICKED. Cannot wait to see the finished product. Did you guys plan to do all this for the BS, or did this all happen becasue a customer requested it ?

 

That is my 63 BS that EvoSport is working on. I did have the opportunity to run (in stock form) at the Autobahn road racing course near Joliet, IL on both the intermediate and long courses. There were 2 GT3's running that day (one of which is a good friend of mine). I was running a consistant 1.3-1.5 seconds per lap faster on the intermediate and nearly 2.0 seconds on the long course. There was also a GT2 on the track that I was maintaining within a half second per lap. Furthermore, that was my first time on the long course, my 63 was only a week old and the guys in Porsches were regulars. I was having huge traction/oversteer issues as well. I would guess that with another days worth of practice and some good tires, fiddling with suspension adjustments and ride height I would be closer to 3 seconds faster than the GT3's and at least as fast as the GT2. This thing makes MPH at an alarming rate when it is hooked up. I have/do own some fast, exotic machines, and there are not too many out there that pull like this one. Not sure how familiar you are with lap times, but 2 seconds on sub 2 mile course is not even in the same league! The GT3's were not even a match on the straights...can't believe those cars get such acclaim seeing how slow they are to accelerate off the corners. I could baby it through a corner, get no drive out and still catch and pass them down the straights. I could honestly toy with them on the straights, I almost felt sorry for them...it really was that bad! It seemed that the only department the GT3's could out perform me was in braking, they were consitantly out braking me in the moderate to hard braking sections. I attribute this to vehicle weight, brake compound and down force. With the help of EvoSport I am addressing the brake compound and most importantly the down force issues. The engineers at AMG should have thrown a big wing in this thing from the factory, something similar to a DTM wing would have been nice.

I don't know how much of the above was due to driver skill, that is always a major factor. I was a professional superbike racer and have lots of seat time in road and race cars on the track, but the fact that I had only a few days worth of street driving time with my 63 BS and I still spanked those guys says a lot about the capabilities and potential of the 63 BS. I'm not saying the BS is going to go out and win at LeMans, but it is a very worthy competitor to a GT3 in my eyes.


I would sumise that by your comments you, either don't have a lot of track/racing experience, or your vehicle had some sort of a problem such as tire air pressure or you fiddled with your suspension setting and made things worse by doing so. My vehicle does not "show it's weight in the corners". In fact just the opposite. It shows it weight approaching a corner but once you turn in and commit to a line the car tracks well, the stock suspension does a good job at leveling off with no understeer at all. Even when trail braking, the car does not push much. Usually, in my past experiences a "heavy" car would have a tendency to push or "understeer" in a corner. I can't wait to see my lap times this spring after I get the car back. I will let, the guys at EvoSport release what information they want when they want, but this will be a completly different beast when they are done. There is no Halon or fuel cell being installed. This car will probably see more street use than track time. The cage and harnesses are my choice for my own safety....Bring it on GT3's!

 

[QUOTE=jrcart;2607830] something similar to a DTM wing would have been nice.

jrcart

Nice write up. I concur. AMG has a euro aero package for the CLK 63 Black that would address your concerns with much more down force. The problem is getting them in the states. Someone will eventually parts source them.

AMG hasn't come out and said it, but their test drivers all admit that the Black is as fast as the CLK DTM on shorter courses so it's no surprise that there the measure of any GT3.

I know it's never cheap being first in putting together race parts. I applaud your efforts. Keep up the good work.

 

Interesting summation considering you don't know me from Adam....
I used to instruct at Skippy so I have plenty of seat time. I also run business development for a Grand Am race team and work side by side with our team manager who used to manage an F1 team. So, I feel that I can speak to your project with a certain degree of knowledge. I agree with you about the Black Series' ability to put down some very quick lap times...but in my experience, weight is ALWAYS a huge factor for a good race car/track car. And the Black Series is simply overweight tipping the scales at close to 2 tons. Perhaps I just have a different frame of reference for cars showing their weight in the turns than you do.

The day I had my car at the track, we were testing one of our DP cars. Both team drivers, Bill Auberlen and Gene Sigal (team owner) were there and spent time behind the wheel in my car giving it a good workout and their opinions were the same. It's an amazing street car, but far from a good track car simply becasue of it's weight. Sure, it will handle track duty all day long. But just sustaining track duty and not being the fastest are two very different things considering there was a $65k Evo on slicks out there spanking me the way you claim to have spanked GT-3's...
The first thing Bill said when he opend the drivers door was "this door must weight 150 lbs, minimum." So, with that being said, by myself and someone who has raced Le Mans, I would sumise that you have very deep pockets and very little time or experience with true race cars. Or, you just want the next coolest car a the country club.
Either way, you will have a very unique and blisteringly fast car when they are done and I too applaud you for your efforts - I hope you plan on keeping your Black Series for a long time and driving the **** out of it.

 

hmmmm, I'm going to stick to my guns on this one. I never said the BS is light, I just stated that it does not show it weight or handle like a "heavy car". I have driven, as well as own/owned some cars that "feel heavy". I really don't care how much driving or racing experience you have. THE LAST TIME I CHECKED ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS ON A RACE COURSE IS LAP TIMES! So everything else you said is irrelevant. Here's a question for you Speed Racer. Which of the following vehicles would you rather race in? One that runs consitant 2:25's at Road America or one that is running consistantly slower 2:27's? Well????? Well, the 2:25's are what I run in my 3900 plus pound Lingenfelter 4 DOOR CTS-V and the 2:27's are what I run in my 3100 pound Dinan tuned M3. DUDE, PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE MAGAZINES AND CHAT ROOMS AND GET IN THE REAL WORLD! I don't care if you had Micheal Schumacher himself behind the wheel of your car, a true enthusiest or racer is going to favor the faster vehicle.

As far as your credentials go, I'm not impressed. Show me a profesional license and I might be impressed. As for the name dropping, I can flip open my cell phone and give you the personal phone numbers of some "real" big name drivers. I have raced (not tracked days, actually raced) at every major circuit in North America, Daytona, Laguna, Road America, Mid Ohio, Brainerd, Heartland Park, PIR, LVMS, Road Atlanta, Watkins Glen, etc., etc., etc. I have also lapped the road course at Daytona in multiple Trans Am cars and SCCA sports cars, driven Nascar Cup cars on ovals and road courses, spent an afternoon in a Corvette C5R, and lapped the Chicago Speedway (not Chicagoland) in a 1997 Dale Coyne Racing Indy/CART (whatever the hell it was called then) car. I still hold an acctive pro liscence for the AMA Superbike series, which I competed in for 2.5 seasons. As an ametuer mototcycle racer in 1997 I shattered and still hold the CCS record for most points and most wins in all 4 classes at the national level as well as the 4 individual US regions I competed in.

I'll be out in Sunny California to do a shakedown run of my BS the last week of February, let me know if you want to join me for an afternoon at The Streets. Try to bring a streetable GT3 if you know anyone that has one. I would be interested to put this debate to rest with a real world, head to head race or we can just pull out the stop watches. I am not affraid to put my money where my mouth is. If that does not work I will be running the road course at LVMS about a week later, after the Nascar teams pull out of the infield. My friend will be out there with his GT3 and Carrera GT.

 

Bro your car is crazy, this will make it so much faster and stiffer. it will be amazing. i think you should join us at the track event at willow next time around. there is a guy i know with a clk dtm that i will also talk into coming if he can pull the permit.

congrads on the car and keep it up.

 

And on a side note, a heavier car just means you need to know how to drive/handle the care better. If they are complaining about the weight than there not that good. Yes, a lighter car will be easier to control but dose not mean it will handle better.

 

Thanks for the invite. When is your next track day at Willow? I am from Chicago, so it is difficult to get my car out west. It is at EvoSport in Huntington Beach right now. I am pressing them to get the car done by February 27. I believe they are going to be doing some tests and photoshoots with some magazines. Maybe they have a track already rented out. I already have plane tickets to fly out there on the 27th to pick the car up. I am supposed to leave on Friday morning the 29th to drive to Vegas. I will be in Vegas for a week and will be doing some laps on the road course at LVMS later the following week. I will keep you posted, but it sounds like fun.

Jim,

 

 

Jim, your CLK63 BS is sick! Thanks for having the ***** to track the car and also kick it up a notch by modifying it. I think the roll cage and brakes look way clean.

Not too many guys who own a BS have the guts to start modifying it before its first oil change. Best of luck and please keep us CLK55 guys posted on the "before" and "after"!

 

Just keep an eye on this thread. I believe this thread was started by the guys at EvoSport, I think they are going to be releasing photos, and Dyno numbers as they make progress. I'm expecting final pix of the leather wrapped roll cage today or tomorrow. I'm told initial ECU program is complete. Pulleys are out for anodizing, headers are getting the finishing touches applied to them. Then they will complete the X-Pipe exhaust and hi-flow cats or cat delete (yes, cat delete, we can get away with that in IL). I believe they are now working on a carbon fiber front diffuser and carbon fiber rear deck lid with an intergrated wing that will replace the factory steel rear deck lid. They are expecting to have the 19"x11" Dymag Carbon Fiber/Magnesium wheels early February. I am also having SLR style scissor doors installed (I've got to have a little bit of a Bling factor)....funtion, function, function and a little bit of fashion!

 

Good stuff. That bar looks like the tequipment one I have Cool hats and headers. A neat thing would be to put the logo on the outside radius so you can see it when mounted up through the wheel

 

Of course you're not impressed, I wouldn't expect someone with your extensive professional car racing background to be. But, you clearly are trying to impress us with you list of accolades and accomplishments which really don't mean squat. I've driven, lapped and raced lots of cars too...but I am not foolhardy enough, as you seem to be, to think that I know more than the paid professional drivers who have been behind the wheel of my car and given me their impressions. You clearly think you know more than Bill Auberlen...well, then why aren't you racing ALMS and Grand Am ?
That was a rhetorical question, so no need to answer as I'm sure you will just blither on about how you can call some "REAL big name drivers". So, do it then and let us know their opinions after some seat time in your car. LOL. Sorry Bill and Gene aren't "real" enough racers for you...nor do their professional opinions matter to someone with your racing pedigree.

LOL - that comment speaks volumes about your intentions with this project. Best of luck, I'm sure it'll be a real head turner at the country club and boost your ego further into the stratosphere than it already is.

 

No intention of putting anyone on the spot here, because I do think this thread is moving off-topic, but I did make a phone call just a few minutes ago. I've met Bill Auberlen at the track a few times, and I have friends who go to the river with him (he's a big boating buff). I'm also friends with racecar driver Cort Wagner, who is good friends with Bill. In any case, through my phone calls, I got a response from Bill regarding the Black Series. When asked what he thought of the car, Bill's response (this is today) was:

"I have never been in or driven a CLK63 Black. I have heard that they were great."

You sure it was Bill who drove your car??

 

Yes, Gene and Bill. Did you speak to Bill just now ? I thought he was on his way to Daytona ?
I too would prefer not to derail this thread as I do think it's a cool project regardless of our differing views about the cars weight

 

He was in Huntington Beach, CA.

You guys should just agree to disagree and leave it at that. And yes, this is a VERY COOL project! Good job Evosport! Keep us posted!!

 

This is great, better than high school, this thread is like a time machine!

Bro, you have some sensitivity issues, as well as some literacy and memory issues. I never claimed to be a profesional car racer, show me where I stated that. I said I raced superbikes (AMA) profesionally, and had seat time in quite a few real race cars. I am a better than average car driver, but probably not a pro level driver, I have never really taken the time to find out. I do know enough about how a car feels, I know how to comunicate to engineers and mechanics to get a proper set up. The only reason I threw out my car experience was because you seem to think I have no driving skills what so ever. You were the first guy, dropping names and bragging about being a friggin Skip Barber, follow the leader lappy( that's what they are, are they not?) I laid down an offer to make a truce, for you to meet me out for a track day, on one of your home tracks, but rather than accept you'd rather sit here and "blither" on about meaningless crap. Talk is real friggin cheap...especially from behind a computer. I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is are you?

As for your "Country Club" comments, I am a 36 year old, somewhat long haired, tatoo having, Harley riding, dirt bag. I swing a golf club about as often as I swing a broom...which is never. They only country club I frequent is the Autobahn Race Club here in Chicago. I could care less what anyone thinks. If I wanted flashy I'd have bought a Yellow Lambo or something. I take it you don't like the scissor door idea? Maybe I'll have EvoSport ship the car over to the guys at PIMP MY RIDE when they are done with it. I'll have them put a $10,000 stereo system in the trunk, a few tv monitors in the visors and an esspesso machine in the center console....and I'll still spank you (while sipping an esspresso) Why do you have to hate? I have been looking at a lot of your old and recent posts, they always have a negative flair to them. Were you an orphan child? Did your parents not hug you enough?

I better go now before I start getting mean. Maybe we should start a thread just so we can keep bashing each other...what do you think?

 

I think EVERYONE here agrees that this is a great thread. And we all want to keep it that way. Please get the discussion back on the subject matter at hand. As someone said earlier, just agree to disagree and move on...

 

To get this back on track, I thought some eye candy would be good!

PRE-MOD TESTING
Here is the car on the pre-mod dyno:



DYMAG CARBON/KEVLAR WHEELS
Here we are testing the look of a 18" Dymag:



We are building them in 19" for the car, BTW. We just happened to have a set of 18" from one of our race cars.


LEATHER WRAP ON BAR
Here are some pics of the leather wrap option on the roll bar:




We used the steering wheel to match the pattern, texture and stitching.

BTW, the weight of the bar wrapped is only 42lbs, not too bad!

Thanks
Brad

 

Brad - very nice work on the cage. The attention to detail is fantastic. The Dymags are really nice and will make the car that much more fun to drive, not to mention removing unsprung weight which will make the car faster, more nimble and brake even shorter. However, I just do not like the yellow hue on the carbon barrel. Especially right next to the air extractors as you can really see the difference in the factory, non heat treated carbon.
Excellent work - now post a sound clip of those headers

 

Brad,
I have several questions on the chrome moly roll bar. What is the diameter and wall thickness on the tubing? Secondly, are the mounting points to the floor, frame rails or seat belt pick up points.
Although my car will see light track use, some clubs scrutinize safety equipment with very little flexibility and I don't want to have them drill a leather wrapped bar.